BUFFALO, NY - There is now a big change in place for traffic patterns for part of Delaware Avenue in Downtown Buffalo.

The area that was recently repaved, has now been re-striped, and will have a different traffic pattern.

That change involves the shift from two lanes each way northbound and southbound down to a single lane in each direction. There will also be a designated left turning lane and a lane designated for bike riders.

From north of Niagara Square to North Street there will be this new three lane configuration on Delaware Avenue. This new lane designation is part of the city's 300 - thousand repaving project we saw earlier this month on Delaware.

According to city Public Works Commissioner Steve Stepniak, delivery vehicles can use the center lane lane for their drop-offs or side streets and buses will move over enough at bus stops to allow traffic to pass.

City Hall officials are sure it will work. Stepniak says "I am very confident this is gonna work. We've done the traffic studies. We've know the traffic volumes. We know the turning needs on this area. This is is not just about Delaware. It's about downtown accessibility and being able to move around downtown. We feel very confident in our master plan."

From our very small sample, bicyclists are thrilled to have a new lane and motorists are really skeptical. One man said "I think Delaware should certainly be a slower, safer for pedestrians and bicyclists closer to City Hall."

But another woman said "I really don't think it's a good idea just with the traffic there already is downtown. I think during rush hour and probably at nights on weekends when everybody is out at the bars, it's gonna be just a lot of congestion...probably moreso than there was before."